THE Ministry of Health started a poll of its employees at health centers on the working hours they would prefer to work. Some of the employees objected to working two shifts.

THE Ministry of Health started a poll of its employees at health centers on the working hours they would prefer to work. Some of the employees objected to working two shifts.

The ministry approved the results of the poll and implemented continuous working hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This, however, was not met with a good response by other employees who believed that the new timings would prevent them from dropping their children off at school.

Before, they used to head straight to work after they dropped their children at school. The new timings will pose an additional problem because they cannot leave work to pick up their children from school.

The problem with this poll is not the work timings, whether it is one or two shifts. Health center employees should not be the only group of people to express their opinion in such a poll as if the matter involves them only and not thousands of other patients.

These patients depend on these health centers and the emergency sections cannot absorb their large numbers when the health centers close for the day.

The Health Ministry should not depend on the results of polls when the matter involves providing services to citizens.

The poll should not be limited to workers at health centers and exclude citizens as if the matter does not concern them.

The results should be based on scientific studies on working hours at these centers and then the best work timings that benefit the public interest should be identified.

If the Health Ministry wanted to look like a ministry adopting democracy by creating polls, then the poll should involve members of the public only, because they are the ones concerned, the ones benefiting and the ones harmed by its results.